Playground Program Update

Hello to our Playground Program families, new and old! My name is Billy Keppen, and I am the Recreation Supervisor who oversees Playground Program. I am thoroughly excited for what will be my tenth year of summer camp programming and look forward to a great summer in 2020.

We have all faced a variety of different challenges over the past few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has given us a new “normal.” While it would be great to open registration and jump right back into the Playground Program we know and love, it unfortunately will not be that easy this year. With guidance from the CDC, Wayne County Public Health, and the state of Michigan, we have implemented a number of changes in order to be able to offer Playground Program in a safe manner for our staff and participants.

Registration for Playground Program will take place online beginning on Monday, June 15 for Livonia Residents and Monday, June 22 for Non-Residents.
Playground Program will begin on June 29 and will run for seven weeks until August 14.
Playground Program will run two different sites each day that are designated “Blue” and “Green.” At the time of registration, families are required to register for either Playground Program Blue or Playground Program Green, and they will follow their color’s schedule. Please note each color’s schedule at the time of registration, for participants from Blue group are not allowed to attend the Green group and vice versa.

Playground Program Blue Playground Program Green
Monday – Clements Circle Park                               Monday – Rotary Park
Tuesday – Rotary Park Tuesday – Botsford Park
Wednesday – Rotary Park                                        Wednesday – Clements Circle Park
Thursday – Botsford Park                                         Thursday – Rotary Park
Friday – Clements Circle Park                                  Friday – Rotary Park

At each site…

Camp staff will be wearing cloth face coverings at all times when not in the pool. Campers are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings as well, especially for those activities where they are in close proximity to other campers.
Campers are required to undergo a symptom and temperature screening before they are allowed to attend camp. Parents/guardians are required to remain on-site until this process is complete. Camp staff are required to undergo a similar process when they arrive at work each day.
Campers will be assigned to groups based on age, and they are required to stay with that group for the duration of the day. At the time of registration, campers can request to be placed with friends or family. We will honor requests to the best of our availability and will adjust groups as necessary when Playground Program begins.
Social distancing is key to a successful program. Social distancing will take place as much as possible at Playground Program, and camper interaction will be limited to the other kids in their group.
Playground toys, equipment, and supplies will only be shared among the campers in the same group. Each group will have their own supplies, or those shared will be cleaned and disinfected before they are shared amongst groups.
Playground Program will not be going on field trips or visiting the Archery Range this year.
Swim days will be assigned by group and will rotate on a week by week basis. Campers will be given the chance to swim once per week, and if available a second day may be offered.

Playground Program will have a different feel to it this year due to all of the necessary precautions and changes that have been put in place. Without them, we would not be able to offer summer programming in 2020. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we all get used to this new routine. We can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!

Billy Keppen

Recreation Supervisor

Camp Swoosh Update

Hello to our Camp Swoosh families, new and old! My name is Billy Keppen, and I am the Recreation Supervisor who oversees Camp Swoosh. I am thoroughly excited for what will be my tenth year of summer camp programming and look forward to a great summer in 2020.

We have all faced a variety of different challenges over the past few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has given us a new “normal.” While it would be great to open registration and jump right back into the Camp Swoosh we know and love, it unfortunately will not be that easy this year. With guidance from the CDC, Wayne County Public Health, and the state of Michigan, we have implemented a number of changes in order to be able to offer Camp Swoosh in a safe manner for our staff and participants.

Registration for Camp Swoosh will take place online only this year. Please note that we have moved to a new registration software. If you are a member - you have an account, please do not make a new one. Go online today to create your account or make sure you have access to your existing one. Registration will occur on the following schedule:

Monday, June 22 for Kirksey Recreation Center Annual Members**
Tuesday, June 23 for Livonia Residents
Thursday, June 25 for Non-Residents.

**We will not be offering summer memberships this year due to COVID-19. With that in mind, if an annual membership is purchased after you register for camp, we will apply the member discount retroactively.

Camp Swoosh will begin on July 6 and will run for seven weeks until August 21. While we do not expect it to be the case, please note that Camp Swoosh would be delayed in the event that the Kirksey Recreation Center is not opened by July 6.
Capacity at Camp Swoosh has been reduced to 20 campers this year per state of Michigan guidelines. We will be splitting the campers into two groups based on age, and they will spend the duration of the day in these small groups. Families are able to request placement with friends or family when registering and we will do our best to accommodate these requests.
Due to state of Michigan guidelines we will not be able to go on field trips this year.

At Camp Swoosh each day…

Camp staff will be wearing cloth face coverings at all times when not in the pool. Campers are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings as well, especially for those activities where they are in close proximity to other campers.
Campers are required to undergo a symptom and temperature screening before they are allowed to attend camp each day. Parents/guardians are required to remain on-site until this process is complete. Camp staff are required to undergo a similar process when they arrive at work each day.
A Parent Handbook with details of the new check-in process will be released by no later than June 29.
Social distancing is key to a successful program. Social distancing will take place as much as possible at Camp Swoosh, and camper interaction will be limited to the other kids in their group.
Playground toys, equipment, and supplies will only be shared among the campers in the same group. Each group will have their own supplies, or those shared will be cleaned and disinfected before they are shared amongst groups.
Campers will be limited to the Leisure Pool during swim time at the beginning of the summer. As the program progresses, we hope to provide opportunities to swim in the lap pool based on availability. If the pool is not open at the start of camp, we will have alternate activities planned and some involving water when feasible.

Camp Swoosh will have a different feel to it this year due to all of the necessary precautions and changes that have been put in place. Without them, we would not be able to offer summer programming in 2020. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we all get used to this new routine. We can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!

Billy Keppen

Recreation Supervisor

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